Sunday, December 18, 2016

C.A.: the review 4 (part 4)

It's safe to say that the readers of this blog enjoy vintage when they see it.

Two of the three residents of the Cardboard Appreciation Hall of Fame are vintage cards. And the first three winners of the fourth Cardboard Appreciation, the Review are all vintage items.

I like how my readers think.

Today, while the weather changes yet again (the last few days: lake effect blizzard, 15-below, more snow, rain, sleet, ice, more snow), I have the vote totals from last week and another crop of cards on which to vote. Yes, there is vintage there.

A little bit of a tighter race than the previous two rounds. Every card received a vote for the first time.

So, let's get on with round four:

1. 1976 Topps All-Time All-Stars Lefty Grove: Have you ever wondered what baseball would be like without left-handers? I explored that. No Babe Ruth, no Reggie Jackson, no Ken Griffey Jr. (Junior wasn't a lefty but his dad was). It wasn't pretty.

2. 1978 Topps Gil Flores: The last few recent Topps sets (although not really 2015 and 2016), there have been some enjoyable dugout shots. It reminded me of the glory days of 1980s Fleer, and, surprise, a good chunk of the entire Angels team set from 1978 Topps.

3. 1983 Topps Ned Yost: A heavily posted card during the Royals' playoff run in 2014, here's Ned Yost exhibiting how he's going to reach the World Series only to lose to a team even more scrappier than bunters. Fortunately, the bunters won the very next year.

4. 1976 Topps Mickey Rivers: There are bat-swinging poses, and pitcher-throwing poses, but when you break out an outfielder-shagging pose, it goes down in history. Think 1965 Topps Carl Yastrzemski, and, of course, 1976 Topps Mickey Rivers.

5. 1991 Line Drive Carlos Garcia: Hey Night Owl Cards reading newbies, do you ever wonder why I receive Buffalo Bisons, Bills and Sabres cards from time to time? It probably began because of this post.

6. 1966 Topps Richie Allen: The 1966 Topps set isn't so bad. It took a few scrawled-on cards for me to realize that.

7. 1992 Donruss Triple Play Autographs: The difference between the autograph-seeker and me is that they see an opportunity. I see myself dorkily begging for an autograph in some sort of out-of-fashion haircut/hat/garment.

8. 1974 Topps Mike Schmidt: There aren't a lot of cards that feature that 1970s staple, the cap-wearing bullpen cart. Fortunately, Mike Schmidt decided to play big league ball in the '70s. The rest is history.

Those are this week's candidates. The new poll is ready to roll on the sidebar. Vote at your convenience. We won't do it again at this time next week, because that will be Christmas Day. But I'll shoot for the following day.